Two Fridays ago, the Santa Fe sheriff’s office finally announced the results of their investigation into the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. Arakawa and Hackman were found dead at their Santa Fe mansion in February, but it was a huge mystery as to how long they had been gone and what exactly happened in that house. The autopsies and investigation revealed nothing but profound tragedy: Arakawa passed away first, from the hantavirus. Hackman, a 95-year-old with advanced Alzheimer’s, was left alone to fend for himself for a week before he died of heart failure.
There were always a lot of questions about why Gene and Betsy didn’t have help – household staff for the upkeep on their mansion, or nursing staff to help Hackman. There were also questions about how Hackman’s three adult children were apparently not in communication with their father or Betsy, and no one in the Hackman family thought to check in with Arakawa on a weekly basis. Well, we’re getting a better picture of what looks like Hackman’s estrangement from his children – he did not leave them anything in his will, which he wrote many years ago.
Gene Hackman’s will has been unveiled — and the two-time Oscar-winner left every penny of his fortune to his wife, Betsy Arakawa — but there’s a big twist. The Hollywood legend made Betsy his sole beneficiary back in 1995, according to the docs, obtained by TMZ.
What’s interesting is that his three children — son Christopher and two daughters Leslie and Elizabeth — are not named in the will. It was all supposed to go to Betsy … but, the timing of their deaths could change where the money goes.
Betsy’s will leaves most of her assets to Gene, but there’s a provision which says if they died within 90 days of each other, it would be considered a simultaneous death, and in that case, her will provides all of her assets would go to charity. New Mexico is a community property state, so assuming there’s no prenup, Betsy’s estate could have a lot of money and her share would go to charity.
As for Gene’s estate … despite the fact he did not include his children in his will, they would presumably get his share since they are the most direct living heirs.
Andrew M. Katzenstein — a prominent California trust and estate attorney — has reportedly been hired by Gene’s son Chris, who’s the oldest sibling … indicating he may challenge the will.
Hackman discussed his difficult relationship with his children over the years … admitting he wasn’t around much during Chris’ formative years. He had gotten closer to his kids in more recent years.
TMZ cites 1995 as the year Hackman signed his will, which would mean that Hackman wrote it when he was 65 years old, four years after he married Betsy. But… People Magazine says that Gene and Betsy both updated their wills in 2005, but in general, everything was the same – Gene left everything to Betsy, and she left everything to Gene or to charity. I’m sure people wondered if she was a golddigger, given the age gap, but Betsy was really there with him in sickness and in health, to the very end. I’m just saying, I get why Gene made that decision at the time. Plus, most people of means leave the bulk of their estates to their spouses, and I’m sure Gene believed that Betsy would survive him. But it does speak volumes about Gene’s relationship with his three kids. People Mag’s experts say that it will be pretty difficult for Hackman’s kids to dispute their father’s will. I’m sure they’ll try though.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
